What a week.

Last wednesday began HORRIBLY. I would write about it but the entire thing was so horrifying I cant bear to write it down. I’ll leave it at this…the cat got sick, the dog “helped” me clean up the cat’s sickness, then the dog got sick, AND then the dog got sick from the other end with the cat’s sickness. Needless to say I almost got sick SEVERAL times. The best part was the whole diabocle happened in an hours time!

Thennnn two days later the cat started acting WEIRD. We were all laying on the couch together Friday night when she rolled over and then “yowled” in pain. Because she is a Manx, she NEVER meows. She’ll chirp when she brings me her mouse to play fetch or growl at the dogs when they’re bugging her but meowing is very rare. Obviously hearing her “yell” was a bit surprising. It continued throughout the night when she’d move a certain way or if I petted her. She finally secluded herself under the couch instead of sleeping with me…which is VERY rare. When I tried press on her stomach/back to see where was making her hurt, she decided instead to punch me in the mouth..with her claw. It left a nice cut in my lip which bled and bled and bled. By saturday night she was refusing to eat so I knew I needed to get her into the emergency vet. HUNDREDS of dollars later…and I find out my dumb cat is full of shit…literally. She stayed overnight to get enemas and rehydrated which made me feel HORRIBLE because I dont know how I missed how little she had been going.

art i made for her while we waited for the vet.

The poor thing came home Sunday morning still obviously uncomfortable. She spent half the day curled in her litter box…

and the other half stuffed in her bed with all her fat hanging out.

I was starting to freak out that she was still “stopped up” but she FINALLY pooped yesterday morning! She is back to her loving self and I have been hugging her non-stop because I hated seeing her so miserable.

THEN I came home from work yesterday to find that my freezer had stopped working. The fridge soon followed so I spent this morning throwing away EVERYTHING. It sucks to throw away so much wasted food. While my landlord is going to go ahead and buy a new fridge/freezer…it wont be here until next week. FML.

Work-wise, I am a bit pissy lately…in the past week I have had SIX no-shows!!!!!!!! No bueno. If you are late or forgot….just call! Please don’t leave me sitting there waiting and waiting and waiting for you.

And to top it all of my shin HURTS. I’ve been dealing with shin splints on my right inside shin off and on since the 10k at the beginning of May. Some days its tight and hurts after I run & some days it’s almost perfect without any pain.  I did 5 miles with Katie at the 3rd battlefield trails and had a WONDERFUL run but my shins did feel tight after the 3rd mile. The next day it was still tight so I iced a few times and tried some DMSO cream. Tuesday I woke up and it HURT. It hurts again today so I’m thinking about taking the week off from running. One of the massage therapists worked on it and felt some fluid near my knee so I dont even know what’s going on. Its just frustrating because its GORGEOUS out and all I want is to run.

If I could have anything, I would be able to run 5-6 days a week without getting injured. I would love to run 4 days a week…but its not meant to be for me right now, I guess.

There was one wonderful day this week…my dear friend Micah and her little one, Pru decided to make a day trip to come visit me on Monday. Micah and I met my sophmore year at Guilford College where we became fast friends. I dont get to see her very often but she means the world to me and to have a whole day with her was SUCH a treat!

We had a lovely day together. We took Pru to the park to play, then went to my favorite Thai restaurant for lunch

She looks JUST like a little kewpie doll!

my most favorite: panang curry with tofu and veggies.<3333

After lunch we walked to Kimberly’s to look at super cute kid stuff, then went to Harvest Moon Natural Foods to shop for goodies, stopped for coffee/chatting at Daily Grind, and then played at Stonewall Jackson’s house

beautiful ladies!

It was a wonderful day.

Hopefully the next 7 days will be less exciting more boring and without crisis or animal drama…

xoxox!

Posted in life, pets | 2 Comments »

Happy Memorial Day!

What a crazy few days.

Work has been SLAMMED. It was, hands down, my best week to date since I started as an esthetician. I can’t wait for my paycheck next week! The downside to being so slammed is that I come home and am exhausted from work/working out every day last week. Thus no blogging for the past few days.

I was able to muster enough energy to go Saturday night to watch the UFC fights with some friends. It  was a very fun night; we laughed until we cried, ate some horrible buffalo wings, and some drunk girl tried to bite me. Yes, bite me. The only explanation I have is that she was drunk and reved up into looking for violence thanks to the fights. We left after that.

Sunday, I ran my 3rd 5k at the Delaplane Strawberry Festival. Its a cross country course out at Sky Meadows State Park and boy, did it kick my ass. It starts out on a paved road then veers off into the woods/cow fields. We ran through mud, cow patties, over a creek, gravel roads…and LOTS of hills. My pace was ALL OVER the place!!! My first mile was 9:27, my second was 11:21, my third was 12:27, and the last .1 was a 9:47 pace. The  3rd mile was almost all uphill, you’d get to the top of one hill only to see another in front of you. On top of that it was at least 75 degrees out there. Needless to say I did a very slow 34:42. But who cares because it was SUCH a beautiful course and so neat to run somewhere SO different (I live downtown so almost all my runs are on sidewalks, in the park, or on the road)

The road the race started and ended on.

what a gorgeous day…and view!

Me & my BFF Katie. This is our third 5k together…its crazy to think a year and half ago we could barely run 1 minute! We always run a little bit together and then Katie goes out on her own as she is MUCH faster than me.

Katie and I after the race. She of course looks GORGEOUS and I look like a tomato.

Despite it being a very difficult course, Katie and her husband BOTH won 3rd place for their age groups. Even cooler, this was the first race they have ever run together!

The festival had a bunch of craft booths, food, music, a petting zoo, and a bunch of other neat odds and ends.

Strawberry stand.

Matt and I shared a delicious strawberry sundae after the race.

Kodak made a new friend. I think both of them were wondering if the other was a dog.

Playing ball and charming everyone in sight.

SLURP!

Kodak was such a trooper. It was VERY warm out and he only started to really get tired as we were leaving. Here he is showing us where we should go to cool down.

I found the cutest halter for Roxy from this vendor. (Kodak’s argyle halter is also from her)

Here she is modeling her new cupcake halter:

The giant batch of strawberries I bought!

To celebrate an awesome race, I made an extra awesome smoothie:

1 cup kale

6 BIG strawberries

1 cup frozen pineapple

1/2 cup frozen mango

1 cup vanilla ultra soy milk

It was soooooo delicious.

Today Matt ran the Loudon Street Mile and freakin’ dominated! He ran a 4:51 mile this year, shaving off 11 seconds from last year! He also won 3rd in his age group AND was 16th overall. I am very very proud of him.

Walking home, I was struck with how BEAUTIFUL it is here.

After the race, we went to the grocery store and then to Matt’s dad’s for a cook out.

I thought this “burger” cake would be an excellent addition to the cookout…but Matt said no.

Matt snuggling his nephew.

After the cookout we went to the Winchester National Cemetary to take photos.

Its been a really nice weekend. If only we had had another day…it all feels like it flew by.

What did you do???

Posted in life, matthew, pets, running | 5 Comments »

Remember when I thought I was going to blog alllll the time and be amazing…yeah, me too. It seems that blogging like so many other things (art journaling and knitting to name a few) is something I get all reved up to do, totally excited to  ”become” some craftier cooler version of myself…and it falls flat. Plus blogging these days isnt just “oh i’ll write about my day”, its “giveaways, getting book deals, and having 10000 followers”…or that’s how it seems sometimes. I read so many really awesome cool inspiring blogs (aurajoon, becoming jennie, bitchecakes, oh she glows, skinnyrunner, fitnessista, nhershoes and healthy tipping point are all my faves) and just get intimidated. It’s REALLY dumb when I write it down since that whole thinking kind of counteractswith the whole point of blogging “be yourself! share your day!”

ANWAYS…Im trying it again.

The last time I wrote here I was training for my first half marathon. I DID IT! Yes…lil’ ol me ,the laziest girl in the world….ran 13.1 miles.

For the complete story go here. It was one of the most AMAZING days of my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better first race. The weather was perfect, the scenery was picture-perfect, and the fact that I went from barely running a mile in November of 09 thanks to my hip injury to running a half 5 months later…well, I think that’s pretty freaking cool.

Since then (its been a little over a month) I did my first 10k, got shin splints, am slowly getting better, and  hoping to do my fist trail 5k on Sunday. I truly love running. I miss it when I take time off and I am astounded at how centered I feel when it’s a part of my routine. I am so new to it still and have a lot to learn but it makes me so genuinely happy to just have the ability to do something so simple that is so good for me physically and mentally.

a very sweaty genevieve after a 4 miles run in 88% humidity. sexy!

In other news, I have a garden!

I started one last fall after I moved into my new apartment but it really wasnt too interesting because I was new to it al. All I can say is that thanks to some hard work and some help from my mom, it is looking SPECTACULAR!

my garden in all its glory!

lovely little stonecrops!

the herb corner: so far I have rosemary, chives, cilantro, basil, and  a few tomato plants.

the HUGE lavender plant left behind by the previous occupants. I love it!

cobweb hen&chicks. I love this little cactus!

cacti…with my mint pot in the background.

front porch.

I love coming home and seeing what looks different, whats growing, whats dying. Its such a beautiful burst of color.

I have a new addiction….green smoothies.

The love affair began after reading countless blogs about them. I am a spinach fan through and through but salads rarely fill me up so throwing spinach in an awesome smoothie seemed like it could work!

I call this one “berry good morning!”

(garnished with fresh mint from my garden)

-2 cups raw spinach
-1 small banana
-1 cup frozen berries (rasberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)
-1 cup hemp milk (great source for omega 3s&6s)
-1 tbsp agave nectar

“choco-berry surprise”

-1 cup spinach
-1 cup kale
-1 cup frozen berries
-1 small banana
-1 cup hemp milk
-1 scoop chocalate amazing grass
-a little agave to cover the kale taste (blech)

“maui morning”

-2 cup spinach
-1 cup frozen mango
-1/2 cup frozen pineapple
-1 cup vanilla soy milk (for protein!)
-1 small banana
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM! I did this one this morning and it was DELISH.

Who knew you could get 5 servings of fruits and veggies before 10 am?!?

Have no fear, I am still a Sonic loving machine with a love for all things fried…but by and large, my diet is really starting to change (and I like it)

Im eating fresh foods a lot, packing my own meals, and rarely getting fast food/take out. The only frozen meal I’ve had lately is a black bean veggie burger from Gardenburger that I like to put fresh avocado on.

My boy and my weenies are all well too!

we went on a 2 mile walk around one of the civil war battlefieds last sunday. the weenies LOVED it.

and a few more random pictures…

sooo sleepy.

devious creatures.

my little love.

my constant.

cleanin’ up good at a friends wedding.

Genevieve…over and out!

grateful 5:

-1. I took Roxy to the vet for a spot on her belly. They say most likely it is benign and nothing to worry over. I blame being a worry-wart and skincare dork.

-2. the gorgeous weather lately. i haven’t turned on my ac yet and its perfect with just the overhead fans going.

-3. avocados are PERFECT right now. I love me a good avocado.

-4. Matt let me sleep in this morning…it was divine.

-5. being alive.

Posted in garden, life, running | 8 Comments »

Gratitude list for today:

1. Dinner with friends. Tonight was meatloaf with sour cream&chive mashed  potatoes! Nomnomnom.

2. Rest days. I gave my legs a break today…and they appreciated it.

3. My heating blanket. Oh how I love that thing! If Matt (aka the human heater) isnt in my bed, I get cold VERY easily. Plus I’ve been trying to keep the apartment at 70 degrees no matter how cold it gets out and being an older building, it gets quite drafty! Ive been reading Slammerkin the past week and snuggling into my pre-warmed bed just makes the late-night reading that much better!

4. Books. I have been so into reading lately. Now that I’ve finished Slammerkin, I want to re-read several other period pieces like The Crimson Petal and the White & Fingersmith.

5. Being busy at work. This past week has really been busier and I am so grateful.

Posted in life | 1 Comment »

So yes…I ,Genevieve, am a complete slacker and havent written in here at all.

I really have no excuse other than I haven’t felt motivated to write. Money is REALLY tight lately and its set a cloud of perma-funk over my life. Its all I think about but the last thing I want to do is sit around and just complain about how little money I have. Yet here I am…doing so. I know I am far from the only person dealing with this but this is my first foray into the world of  ”I just bounced my rent check and god am I ashamed”. It is far scarier than I could have ever imagined. I just keep saying to myself over and over and over “it will get better” and “this is good and teaches you things you didn’t know before” I know for a fact that money does not bring happiness but I am also learning that being stretched SO thin can be an ugly awful feeling and leaves you lying awake at night wondering if you will be able to pay all your bills, let alone have money to get the dog some food.

Maybe I need to pay more attention to the things I tell myself in my art journal?

One good thing about being tight on $$ is that I have been cooking A LOT more! I actually like cooking…who knew?

Among some of the things I have cooked:

Poblano, Black Bean, and  Mango Quesdillas

My friends Ellen, Lauren, and I made these one night and they were DELICIOUS.

Spaghetti Squash with Avocado Pesto

First off let me say spaghetti squash is just weird! I wanted very much to like it but it really is just odd.

It really just in no shape or form will EVER replace spaghetti for me. Sorry squash. Its fun ripping it all up after you cook it though…just not really fun eating it.

BUT

the avocado pesto sauce was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Mmmmmmmmm.

And last but not least,

(image by skinnychef.com)

rosemary sweet potato fries.

So amazingly delicious. Add in a garlic basil dipping sauce and you are in HEAVEN. I changed the dipping sauce recipe and instead of mayo used greek yogurt. EVEN MORE AWESOME!

In case you didn’t get the memo, greek yogurt is my new downfall and I will never go back to regular yogurt again.

Lucky for me Costco sells it (not my favorite brand boo-hoo) so I dont go even more broke by buying copious amounts of yogurt. If you want to really go hardcore buy the 0% Fage and just add some honey. It’s so simple, so yummy, and 120 calories with 20 grams of PROTEIN and NO FAT!

Side note: since I have been spending so much more time in my kitchen, I realized the other day that my FAVORITE PART of my kitchen is all damaged from a leak

This is very sad.

On the running front, I am on week 4 of my training for my half. All systems go! This Sunday I will conquer 4 miles! The race is 80 days away. I have so far to go and I know I am going to really be hating myself for even doing this the closer the race gets…but I want it so bad.

All the animals are wonderful and make me happy when nothing else does.

It was VERY cold here for awhile so the puppies bundled up outside.

GOOOOOOOOOOO!

A very dashing Kodak.

Roxy braving some icy winds.

HELLO!

anddd Stubbs, who never fails to be weirder and weirder each week.

This is where she now hangs out during the day…halfway under the couch with her legs sticking out.

Oh hai.

One last Roxy photo because she is teenytinytinytiny and cute!

I am so proud of her. She has bounced back from her surgery so well and been so brave and every day I am so happy she is still here being her barky huffly burrowy snuggley self.

I’ll end this entry with two photos that make my ovaries explode…

Matt and his adorable nephew jamming out with some chopsticks.

G-Money out!

Posted in cooking/baking, life, matthew, pets, running | 2 Comments »

First and foremost, it is FREEZING. According to the weather channel it is currently 17 degrees…but thanks to the crazy winds, it feels like -3. I need to run today but I am REALLY debating it. I cant run on the treadmill because I am terrfied it will set my hip off (I ran on a treadmill a few days before my hip bursitis began in March, I still wonder if that played a part) and Im not sure I can mentally handle running around the indoor track at the gym (13 laps = 1 mile. UGH) So I may have to put up or shut up and hopefully not die while I do my run.

This shirt Matt got me for Christmas will come in handy!

Speaking of which, I took down the tree last night. It was my first tree since I started living on my own. Goodbye little tree. Have fun in the scary basement until next year!

Best ornament ever! Matt’s mom gave it to me! She also gave me a dachsund made out of a wrench and a little beanie baby doxie. My dachshund collection is slowly growing! (thank you laura!)

Roxy is doing AMAZING. She has shown me what a strong little dog she is and pretty much taken me by total surprise. She is putting weight on her right leg, able to run, and totally back to her nutty ways. All within 2 weeks of having major surgery, one of her discs taken out completely, and having a blood transfusion!!! The hardest part right now is getting her to slow down, not run whenever she feels like it, and keep her off the couch and stairs.

She got her staples out a few days ago…all 13 of them!

Now that she is feeling better, I can go back to annoying her!!

New Years was very nice.

Matt’s band plays at a hotel every year which means free dinner, free room, dancing, and a midnight kiss.

I was lazy and wore the same dress from last year (picture featured is from last year). I couldnt find anything I liked for this year as everything is TOO short and bubble dresses make me look HUGE.

Matt on the other hand looked quite snazzy. Check the red snakeskin shoes yo.

I like him.

I look like Im grabbing his junk but Im not, just pointing out his fancy shoes.

Pictures of the band and midnight.

Matt is always hidden in the back. I dont think people even see him!

This was before I snuck my own kiss on stage.

My tired tired feet at the end of the night after a long day of work and then some dancing.

I started Gaining New Years Eve, first of my goals for the new year will soon be accomplished!!!

And since I mentioned that, I should get on my running clothes and get to steppin’

Ive  got 104 days to be half-marathon ready.

I am nervous that I may be making a goal I cannot complete but in the end I will at least be more than ready to conquer the Apple Blossom 10k in May!

Ahhhhhhhh!

EDIT: For all those interested, after writing this blog I DID go run. 20 minutes in weather that felt absolutely frigid. My toes are still trying to warm up. I feel like a superhero!

Posted in art, life, pets, running | 1 Comment »

I love making lists and I love trying to better myself in some shape or another…so obviously New Years resolutions are extremely exciting to me.

Fitness/Health

• Keep up my running/spinning/weights. Running 3x a week, Spinning 2x a week, weights 3x a week.
• If my hip agrees to it, train and take on the Charlottesville half marathon. I’m back up to 2 miles…and I have 4 months to do 11.1 more.
• Try and become a spin instructor.

Mental Health

• Really truly make an effort to accept my body for what it is. There are parts of me that are so hard to like and frustrate me so much because they don’t look the way my head says they should look. And even more frustrating is that in order to feel “acceptable” “pretty” “beautiful” and to have a certain body, I would have to do things I don’t want to do anymore. THUS…I am left to accept the body I have, make tweaks that are healthy, but overall get it through my thick skull…that I will always have hips and bigger legs.
• Continue my art journaling.
• Get off Depakote.

MISC

• Try my hand at jewelry making.
• Cook 1x a week.
• Read Gaining, The Last Lecture, Finding Your Own North Star (one of my mom’s favorites), The 4 Agreements, Three Cups of Tea
• Take photos. Stop worrying that I will never be as good as Matt (because I wont) and because of that, never taking any. Find the happiness it used to give…and just do it.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

What are your resolutions?

Posted in body image, life | 3 Comments »

Time for the survey I do every year….

01 What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
fell in love with a tailless kitty, ran a 8k, took on my fear of doing brazilian waxes, ran a 8: took spinning classes (and loved it), went to Hawaii.

02 Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My goals from last year:
FITNESS/HEALTH GOALS:
1. Run the Apple Blossom 10k in an hour and 5 minutes or less. (did not do. thanks hip)
2. To run the Rock&Roll Hal Marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes.(did not do. thanks hip)
3. To start adding fitness dvds back into my exercise routine. (did this every so often. now that i belong to the gym theres really no point)
4. Taking my vitamins/fish oils more regularly (meh)
5. Lose 15 more lbs. (FML)
MENTAL HEALTH GOALS:
1. Stop picking at myself so much. Its a horrible ocd habit I have and it makes me really embrassed. It’s def. gotten better but I’d really like to put it to rest. (still not 100% no picking. i suck)
2. Make sure that my exercising stays healthy and that I lose weight in a healthy manner. (I struggled with this some this spring but I think my relationship with exercise is the best it has ever been. I do it, I do it regularly, and I dont JUST do it to lose weight.)
3. Write in my lj more. (Did not do. No biggie)
4. Start taking pictures and posting them. (Did not do)
MISC:
1.Decorate my stupid apartment and stop feeling so embrassed of it. (done )
2. Find a really awesome place to live once my lease is up. (DONE!)
3. Buy clothes out of my safety zone. (sometimes)
4. Read the following books:
eat pray love (DONE)
gaining (did not do…i need to)

03 Did anyone close to you give birth?
YES!
My cousin Alicia gave birth to the beautiful Miss Austen in January and a few months later my dear friend Micah gave birth to the equally beautiful Pru.

04 Did anyone close to you die?
No.

05 What countries did you visit?
N/A

06 What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Confidence.

07 What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 4-The guy I dated through high school and college was in a cycling accident and ended up in a coma for 16 days. Those two weeks taught me a lot about forgiveness and letting go of what people may have done and simply wanting the best for someone.
January 8- my 10 year sobriety anniversary.
March 1-the day my hip started hurting. It may seem dumb to people but my hip injury really impacted a lot of my year in terms of all the things I planned to do but couldn’t not to mention there were periods of time where I was in a fair amount of pain.
March 21-Matt qualified for Boston! I dont know if I have ever been so proud of him. Seeing him run by after the 3:10 group and realizing he had made his goal made me SOSOSO happy I had tears in my eyes.
April 4- The day my dad told me my step-mom left him.
June 16-My bosses closed the spa, left town with our paychecks, and turned out to be completely different people than I could have even expected.
July 19- HAWAII!!!
Dec 16- Roxy’s surgery.

08 What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Learning to move on.

09 What was your biggest failure?
Letting my insecurities dictate my behavior. (same as last year)

10 Did you suffer illness or injury?
Whats up hip bursitis!!?!?

11 What was the best thing you bought?
My handy dandy portable facial machine!

12 Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mine…sometimes.

13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My previous employers. Nuff said.

14 Where did most of your money go?
The animals<3, groceries, books, food. I wish I could say I spent my money on more exciting things.

15 What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Work! The animals! Matt! Spinning! Running! HAWAII!!!!!!!!

16 What song will always remind you of 2009?
Good Life by Kanye West.

17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? HAPPIER.
b) thinner or fatter? About the same :/ But wayyyy stronger!
c) richer or poorer? poorer.

18 What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I had gotten to do more running and completed the goals I had planned.

19 What do you wish you’d done less of?
Obsessing and feeling bad about the way I look. Crying over stuff I couldn’t change.

20 How will you be spending Christmas?
Well since Christmas is gone…we spent the morning together unwrapping gifties and then the rest of the day at my mom’s with my family.

21 How will you be spending New Years?
Watching Matt play.

22 Did you fall in love in 2009?
Always. I am in stupidly in love with my dream boy.

23 How many one-night stands?
Homie dont play that.

24 What was your favorite TV program?
CRIMINAL MINDS followed by Hoarders, Meet the Natives…and JERSEY SHORE.

25 Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Yup.

26 What was the best book you read?
Eat Pray Love

27 What was your greatest musical discovery?
Lady Gaga.
I hate even saying it but I listen to her ALL THE TIME at the gym or while I run.

28 What did you want and get?
I dont know how to answer this. Life threw some curve balls this year and thus the things I planned and wanted didnt happen. But thats ok. Thats life. At the end of the day I have everything I need.

29 What did you want and not get?
I wanted to start working with a plastic surgeon and doing laser work. That didnt happen.

30 What was your favorite film of this year?
The Blindside!!!

31 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
For my 26th birthday Matt, Ellen, and I got up early and went on a 16 mile adventure (we biked & matt ran) Afterwards Matt and I ate Burger King because it was Saturday, took a glorious nap, went clothes shopping for me, and prepared for our trip to Hawaii which was the next day. Awesome and laid back..just the way I like it!

32 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Hard to say.

33 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Black…with a white lab coat.

34 What kept you sane?
Medication DUH!

35 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fuck celebrities.

36 What political issue stirred you the most?
The economy…it terrifies me.

37 Who did you miss?
All the friends I’ve made along the way who I never see or hardly see.
Katie…her not being here is really hard sometimes.

38 Who was the best new person you met?
Stubbs, she was a wonderful surprise.
And Communikate!

39 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Sometimes, its too good to be true…and everything happens for a reason, even if that reason isn’t made clear to you yet.

40 Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won’t all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good”

Posted in body image, life, matthew, pets, work | 3 Comments »

art journal: Starting an art journal is a powerful way to move beyond words in your daily writing practice. Not only does working with images access a different part of our brains than words, making art is a source of playfulness and creative joy.

Its really cool how inspired I have already felt since getting it. I really hope I stick with it.

Tags: art journal
Posted in art, body image, life | 1 Comment »

I decided the other day to make a “dream xmas wish list”
Its nice to dream and since I know I really wont get any of these items (either because they are WAY too expensive…or cant be bought), its at least fun to talk about them. I consider myself to be a pretty non-materialistic individual so it can’t be bad to be so every so often…right?

The list.
1.

“Large-scale Wood Assemblage, Hidden Under the Pear Tree (2009)”

by the amazing artist Dolan Geiman.

Its only 2,800! Haha.

2.
Big professional brush set to do free lance makeup with. I feel gross using my own brushes no matter how well I sterilize them and I like the idea of them all matching.

3.
This body. Santa please???

4.
The confidence and openess to start being creative again.
(this is an album cover for the band azure ray and i am obsessively in love with it for some reason.)

5.
Another weenie!!!

6.
For my hip to stick with the program and allow me to run the Charlottesville half marathon in April. Also for me to stay motivated enough to go from where I am at now to being able to run 13.1 miles in 4 months.

7.
the fancy pants micro machine I worked with at my old work. And the ability to shrink it down to transportable size…

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